


How Jack and Zhao Zi met

by piningbisexuals



Series: Trapped, but in high school [2]
Category: HIStory3 - 圈套 | HIStory3: Trap
Genre: First Meeting, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 16:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18945100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piningbisexuals/pseuds/piningbisexuals
Summary: A little prequel showing how Jack and Zhao Zi met during that summer when Zhao Zi's grandma lodged him.





	How Jack and Zhao Zi met

**Author's Note:**

> Prequel to Trapped but in high school so I advise you to read it first.
> 
> All my fanfictions are available on tumblr @ piningbisexuals

Jack knew who Zhao Zi was. 

Of course he did, he was one of the most popular guys in the class, always wearing the biggest smile and sharing snacks with anyone interested in him.

On top of that, Zhao Zi lived on the same street as him, and his grandma really got along with Jack’s parents. 

In fact, they got along so well that when Jack’s parents had to attend his aunt’s second wedding and Jack begged them not to go, they asked Zhao Zi’s grandma to lodge him for the weekend, and she gladly accepted.

Now, Jack had told them multiple times that he could take care of himself for a weekend but his mom hadn’t really realized that he was almost 18 and preferred to believe he was still an actual child.

 

Going to Zhao Zi’s home was pretty awkward, especially since the boy didn’t seem to read the situation as he did, being pretty friendly and trying to strike up a conversation with him. 

Of course, Jack would sleep in his room, on a little mattress too short for him. 

Lunch was pretty uncomfortable, but Jack decided to focus on Grandma instead, who was truly the loveliest woman ever. 

She kept asking questions about him and his family with a loving smile playing with the corner of her mouth. 

Zhao Zi would sometimes chime in, trying to talk to the guest too, and Jack would of course respond (he wasn’t that rude) with short answers.

That afternoon, Zhao Zi asked him what he liked doing during his weekends, and Jack didn’t know what to respond. 

He would spend his weekends working at his parents’ restaurant, trying to help as much as he could, but now that they weren’t there he honestly didn’t know what to do.

“What do you usually do?” He asked politely, but also because he was curious about what the boy did in his free time.

“Well, I like going out and eating a bunch of street food. Do you wanna do it with me?”

He didn’t know why he agreed, but he did, and it ended up being a great decision.

In one short afternoon, they managed to walk about 10 kilometers, eating at three different spots. 

The food was delicious, but the surprising thing was that Jack was enjoying himself. 

Usually, he would despise people who looked too happy, accusing them of faking it. But for Zhao Zi, it wasn’t the case. He was genuinely happy all the time, for no particular reason. It was refreshing for Jack, who didn’t really get to experience joy very often.

 

That night, he participated way more in the discussion, feeling already way more carefree than he was that morning.

The three of them ended up watching a drama on tv, which Grandma and Zhao Zi couldn’t stop commenting, to the wonder of Jack who couldn’t help but chuckle at each comment.

He loved his family, he really did, but his parents were so busy trying not to go broke that they barely spent any time with him, which meant no family time in front of the tv like Zhao Zi and his grandma. 

Jack envied them.

That night, Zhao Zi and him talked a bit, until the boy was sound asleep. Jack, himself, couldn’t sleep yet. 

 

The next day, on a really hot day, Grandma decided to drive them to Keelung, a port town in the North of Taiwan. 

The sun was so high in the sky, and they ate delicious fish at a great restaurant near the sea. It was kind of a perfect day. 

Jack never went anywhere during the holidays, except for Hualien where the rest of his family was. 

Being near the sea made him feel calm.

While Grandma had propped herself on a bench in front of the beach under a big umbrella so she could rest, Zhao Zi and him decided to go explore the rest of the city.

It felt weirdly intimate, walking next to a boy he had known for two years but never had talked to before that weekend. 

They walked really close to each other, speaking in really quiet voices, the sun pressing a hot touch against their scalp. Somehow, things had shifted between them.

They ended up sitting at a small cafe, eating delicious ice-creams.

“Let’s take a picture together!” exclaimed Zhao Zi, taking out his phone.

They had already taken a picture at lunch with Grandma, but apparently that wasn’t enough.

Zhao Zi brought his chair closer to his and leaned into him, holding his ice-cream onto the frame. 

Their shoulders were touching, and Jack didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything else.

“Come on, smile!”

And Jack did. 

In most photos, Jack thought his smile looked fake, purposely created to give the impression he was really happy. 

But in this picture, he looked truly happy. Despite his lack of sleep the last night, he looked content and well-rested. It felt incredible. For once, he didn’t have to pretend.

That night, he saw Zhao Zi look at their picture on his phone quite a lot, even once the lights were off and they were supposed to sleep.

“Jack...” he finally heard. “Will we stay friends once you go home tomorrow?”

Jack couldn’t answer. He knew what he wanted to happen, for sure, but it always ended up being far from what actually happened. Jack couldn’t bring himself to lie, not to Zhao Zi.

Now, Zhao Zi had turned to look at him in the dark, from where he was perched on his bed. Jack just stood up and asked “Can I join you?”

“Yes.”

Zhao Zi’s bed was warm, and the boy seemed to be embarrassed to have someone else in his bed.

They spent a few minutes in silence, staring at the ceiling. Jack wished he could say something, but his words couldn’t even start forming in his head. 

The truth was that he did want to stay friends with Zhao Zi, probably be more than friends as well. 

But Jack was part of a gang at school and did awful shit and Zhao Zi was the kindest, most innocent boy he had ever met, and also Jack didn’t even know he liked boys beforehand so this was a little complicated as well and -

“So… are you gonna kiss me?”

Somehow, Jack didn’t have to say anything that night. In that case, actions were louder than words. 

And kissing Zhao Zi with all he’d got was enough to get the message across.


End file.
